​I get a lot of questions about this in the summer with my color clients: “How do I keep my summer activities from destroying my color?” To which I reply NEVER LEAVE YOUR HOUSE. Just kidding. I mean, that’s my strategy, but for those of you with actual lives, here’s a few tips to maintain your fabulous rainbow locks…

Wear a hat. Seriously. If you’re going to be outside for barbecues, yard work, firecrackers, and all that good summer stuff, putting on a hat can make a huge difference. Just one long day spent outside can actually suck out a TON of your color, especially blues and purples because they seem especially sensitive to UV rays.

Speaking of UV rays, there are a lot of sun protecting products on the market that are a bit like sunscreen for your hair. Find one that’s right for your hair type and then hose your hair down with it.

If you are going swimming, whether in salt or chlorinated water, avoiding getting it wet is obviously going to be helpful. But if you don’t want to be a total killjoy and want to actually do some swimming, then get it wet before you go in, and slather some conditioner into it, too. This can block a bit of the absorption of chlorine or minerals that can strip color out. Keeping it pulled back in a braid or bun can help a little bit, too.

Once you’re done swimming, it’s a good idea to shampoo and condition your hair. Shampooing it helps get the chemicals out (imperative if you’re blonde and you don’t want green hair), and you will definitely need conditioner because most water sources often make hair a bit drier.

If you swim a lot – like competitively or just as part of your daily routine – ask your stylist about getting a Malibu treatment. Malibu is a company that specializes in making products for managing chemical buildup in hair, from color to chlorine to hard water deposits. There’s a variety of ways that different types of chemicals can impact your hair, including dryness, texture changes, dry scalp, discoloration, “soapy” feeling hair, fading, and even very hot or burning reactions when applying color products in the salon! Getting a Malibu treatment every so often can really make a huge difference in the health of your hair and can control the effects of frequent swimming. They also have product lines that can be used at home to maintain your hair health. They don’t pay me or sponsor me to say this, either; they are just one of the few companies out there that really focuses on this particular aspect of hair maintenance, and a lot of people don’t know about them, so summer time is the best time to talk them up!

Hope this helps! If you’ve discovered other helpful hints or products, mention them in the comments below!